Certificate Upgrades

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Certificate Level Upgrade Options

Option 1: Upgrading in Your Current Certificate Field

In-field:

Completion of an advanced degree program in a certification field currently held by the educator. Examples:

• Teacher holds Early Childhood T-4. Gets Masters in Early Childhood for T-5.

• Teacher holds T-4 in English for Secondary. Gets Masters’ in English.

• Teacher holds T-5 in Special Education. Gets Specialists’ degree in Special Education. Degrees offered by Georgia institutions must meet one of the following:

1. The college, school or Department of Education is approved by GaPSC (Professional Standards Commission), or

2. The institution has a Carnegie Classification of RU/VH or RU/H (Research University) Degrees offered by out of stateinstitutions must meet one of the following:

1. The institution is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), or

2. The advanced degree program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), or

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Certificate Level Upgrade Options

Option 1: Upgrading in Your Current Certificate Field

So how do I know if I’m okay for an upgrade under Option 1?

1. Do I already hold a certificate in this field?

Yes

2. Is my graduate program in a Georgia institution approved by the

PSC or is the institution a Research University (RU/H or RU/VH)

as classified by the Carnegie Institute?

Yes

3. If my graduate program is out of state, is it accredited as

required by the PSC?

Yes

If you can answer

yes

to question 1 and

yes

to either question 2 or 3, you

are eligible for an upgraded certificate and related pay increase.

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Certificate Level Upgrade Options

Option 2: Upgrading based on a degree in a new field

Completion of an advanced degree program in a new certification field. Examples:

• Teacher holds Early Childhood T-4. Gets Masters in Middle Grades Social Studies

• Teacher holds T-4 in Health/PE. Gets Masters’ in Special Education

• Teacher holds T-5 in Special Education. Gets Specialists’ degree in School Counseling Degree programs offered by Georgia institutions must meet the following:

• The program is a GaPSC approved Educator Preparation Program.

Degree programs offered by out of stateinstitutions must meet the following:

• The program is approved by the state equivalent of the GaPSC, and

• The institution is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), or

• The advanced degree program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), or

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Certificate Level Upgrade Options

Option 2: Upgrading in a New Certificate Field

So how do I know if I’m okay for an upgrade under Option 2?

1. Is my advanced degree program in a field other than my current

certificate?

Yes

2. Is my graduate program in a Georgia institution an educator

preparation program approved by the Georgia PSC?

Yes

3. If my graduate program is out of state, is the program approved

by the college/university’s home state PSC?

Yes

4. If my graduate program is out of state, is the program accredited

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Certificate Level Upgrade Options

Option 2: Upgrading in a New Certificate Field

So how do I know if I’m okay for an upgrade under Option

2?

If you can answer

yes

to question 1 and

yes

to question

2 you are eligible for an upgraded certificate and

related pay increase when you pass the GACE in the

new field.

Or

If you can answer

yes

to question 1 and

yes

to questions

3 and 4 you are eligible for an upgraded certificate

and related pay increase when you pass the GACE in

the new field.

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More on New Field Upgrades

Many institutions offer degrees in fields such as Secondary Education. In order to

accept a degree in Secondary Education to add a field, the transcript and

recommendation form must list an area of specialization in a field recognized by

Georgia. For example: Secondary Education with a specialization in Science.

The educator must also pass the GACE assessments for the Secondary field of

specialization and add the field before being eligible to upgrade the certificate.

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Even More on New Field Upgrades

Georgia educators who hold professional certification and complete an out of state

program to upgrade their certificate and add a new field must complete a program that

meets Georgia’s Upgrade requirements AND pass the GACE content area

assessment. If a test is satisfied for an out of state certificate, Georgia will no longer

reciprocate.

Educators who do not take and pass the GACE content area assessment will NOT

receive the upgrade OR add the new field to their certificate.

Exception

: The only exception is if GACE does not have a content area exam

established for the field.

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Important Requirements to Remember

The institutions must hold the specific type of accreditation at the time of admittance for

acceptance.

Educators seeking certificate level upgrades through the addition of a new field in

conjunction with completion of an advanced degree program must meet all Georgia

testing requirements to add the field. Educators must pass the appropriate GACE

assessments in order to qualify for a certificate level upgrade.

Educators holding valid Georgia NT, NNT, P and GaTAPP certificates at a level 4 or

higher cannot upgrade until they convert to a Clear Renewable certificate.

The certificate level is still a single level assigned to all certificate fields held by the

educator. For example: An educator will NOT hold separate levels for T, S or L

certificates.

If you are currently actively enrolled and taking courses for an advanced degree, you

will be “grandfathered’ in to your upgrade. See the next slide for the timeline.

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Grandfathering Timeline

Georgia educators with certificate levels in place by December 15, 2010 will remain intact.

The grandfathering process for certificate levels will begin on December 15, 2010, and remain in place until July 15, 2011. The process was designed to protect educators who are currently completing a program during the time of the rule change.

As of December 15, 2010, educators must meet two requirements to upgrade their certificates under the previous upgrade rule:

• Educator must be enrolled in a program by July 15, 2011

• Enrolled is defined as admitted to a program and actively completing coursework AND

Educators enrolled in a program must complete the program within the following time period: • Master’s degree completed by December 15, 2014

• Educational Specialist degree completed by December 15, 2014 • Doctoral degree completed by December 15, 2016.

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List of Accreditation Agencies

• The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

–

The link:

http://www.chea.org/search/search.asp

• The Carnegie Classification for the Advancement of Teaching

–

RU/VH link:

http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/lookup_listings/srp.php?clq={%22basic

2005_ids%22%3A%2215%22}&limit=0,50

–

RU/H link:

http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/lookup_listings/srp.php?clq={%22basic

2005_ids%22%3A%2216%22}&limit=0,50

• Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)

–

The link:

http://www.teac.org/membership/teac-members/

• US Department of Education (USDOE)

–

The link:

http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx

• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

–

The link:

http://www.ncate.org/public/listofaccredinst.asp

• Educational Leadership Constituent Council

–

The Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) provides program

standards to NCATE. The ELCC is composed of three NCATE constituent member

associations: ASCD, NAESP, and NASSP.

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New Form

The form on the next page is under development by

the Ga PSC. The intent of the new form is for

educators to have a systematic way to get

pre-approval from GaPSC before starting an

advanced degree.

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Additional New Fields of Certification

Three new fields of certification are being developed for approval:

•

Curriculum and Instruction

•

Instructional Technology

•

Teacher Leadership

The transition plan for these new fields is intended to honor existing programs until the

GaPSC Certification and Preparation rules are adopted and GACE assessments are

developed. It will also allow time for institutions to adjust programs for approval by the

GaPSC or their home state equivalent.

DRAFT GUIDANCE:

All candidates enrolled by January 15, 2013 must complete all Master’s or Specialist

degree program requirements by July 15, 2015, or Doctoral degree program

requirements by July 15, 2017. Completers of these programs will earn a certificate

level upgrade

ONLY

regardless of program state approval status.

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Additional New Fields of Certification

Educators enrolled and completing programs in these fields will continue to earn a

certificate level upgrade provided the institution meets one of the following criteria:

•

The program is approved by the GaPSC, or

•

The institution is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher

Education (NCATE), or

•

The advanced degree program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation

Council (TEAC), or

•

The institution has a Carnegie Classification of RU/VH or RU/H

A timeline for acceptance will be determined and published in GaPSC guidance. If an

educator wants to later add these fields once approved programs are in place, they

must affiliate with an approved provider and complete requirements for

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COLLEGE NCATE TEAC CARNEGIE CLASS APPROVED PROGRAMS 3-15/3-19

Argosy University no no no no

American Intercontinental University no no no no Ashford University/Rio Salado College no no no no Cambridge College no candidate no yes Capella University no no no no Central Michigan University yes candidate no yes Drexel University no no RU/H yes Eastern Michigan University yes no no no Fielding Graduate University no no no no George Washington University yes no RU/H no Grand Canyon University no no no yes

Kaplan University no no no no

Liberty University yes no no yes Lesley University no yes no no Lincoln Memorial University no no no yes National University no no no yes Nova Southeastern University no no no yes University of Phoenix no yes no yes University of West Alabama yes no no yes University of West Florida yes no no yes Walden University no no no yes Western Governor's University yes no no yes

Status of

Out-of-State

Programs

as of Fall

2010.

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Let’s take a look at a few

emails the GaPSC received

regarding the Upgrade Rules.

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Question

Will a Doctorate in Education, with no concentration, from Lincoln Memorial

University in Tennessee ensure a pay raise for a teacher that stays in the

classroom ? I have an EdS in Middle Grades Education from Mercer

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Answer

Hello. Thank you for your recent inquiry to the Professional Standards Commission (PSC) Certification Division concerning the proposed certification upgrade rule and completing an advanced degree at Lincoln Memorial University. As long as you are actively enrolled in coursework in the program on or prior to 7/15/11 and complete your degree according to the time-line listed below, you are “grandfathered” and your certificate will be upgraded to the appropriate degree level.

Master’s degrees: Enrolled by: 7/15/11 Completed by: 12/15/14

Specialist degrees: Enrolled by: 7/15/11 Completed by: 12/15/14

Doctoral degrees: Enrolled by: 7/15/11 Completed by: 12/15/16

Please note an upgrade usually results in a salary increase. However, salary is determined by the local school system and Department of Education regulations and not the PSC. Therefore, please refer all questions regarding salary adjustments to your school system personnel

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Question

I am currently provisionally certified in ECE and looking to complete my

Master's in order to retain my certification. I have looked through the

information on the website, but have been unable to find all the information I

need. I am considering two program options and would like to know if they are

currently approved programs that will satisfy my requirement to convert my

certificate from provisional to renewable.

The programs are: American College of Education - Master's in Education

(Curriculum and Instruction) (Regionally Accredited)

Western Governor's University - Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Preparation

Program (K-8) (nationally, regionally, NCATE, and CCNE accredited)

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Answer

To qualify to convert your Non-Professional certificate in Early Childhood to Clear

Renewable status, you must complete a “state-approved” teacher certification

preparation program and receive a recommendation for professional

certification. Unfortunately, the master’s program at the American College of

Education in Curriculum and Instruction would not be acceptable to convert your

Non-Professional certificate. Although the institution is regionally accredited, it

appears that this program is not state-approved by the Illinois Department of

Education.

If the post-baccalaureate program at Western Governors University (WGU) is

state-approved by the Utah Department of Education, then this program would be

acceptable for professional certification in Georgia, and if you successfully

complete this program, you can apply to convert your Non-Professional certificate

to Clear Renewable. In addition to completing the program, though, you would

still have to complete any special Georgia certification requirements such as 3

semester hours of college credit in identifying and educating exceptional

children. WGU may be able to include this course in your program, should you

decide to complete this program.

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Question

I currently hold a T-5 in Mathematics and am planning to complete a Ph.D.

degree at Georgia Tech in mathematics. Will this advanced degree be

acceptable for a certification upgrade based on the new upgrade rule?

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Answer

The Georgia Institute of Technology currently holds Carnegie

Classification of RU/VH. You may complete a higher degree in your field

of mathematics through this institution to upgrade your current

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Question

I currently hold a T4 in English and am planning to enroll in a Master of Fine

Arts (MFA) degree program in drama at Yale University to add drama. Will this

advanced degree be acceptable for a T-5 in English and add certification in

Drama?

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Answer

Thank you for your thought provoking question. In order to

qualify to upgrade your certification, you must first add the field

of Drama to your certificate in English. Since there are limited

Georgia approved programs in Drama and currently no GACE

assessment, a degree in Drama from Yale University will allow

you to add the field. Once you have completed the degree and

added the field, you will qualify to upgrade to higher degree

because Yale holds a Carnegie classification of RU/VH.

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Question

I hold a T-6 in Physics and Science and plan to enroll at Walden University to

complete a Doctor of Education degree in Science Education in August 2011.

Will this advanced degree meet the new guidelines for a certification upgrade?

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Answer

Unfortunately, Walden University does not meet the GaPSC accreditation

requirements outlined in our Educator Certificates Upgrade Rule. This

institution does not hold NCATE, TEAC or Carnegie Classification of

RU/H or RU/VH. Therefore, earning a higher degree from this institution

will not qualify you for an upgrade.

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Question

I hold a T4 in Special Education General Curriculum and plan to complete the

state-approved Master of Education degree in School Counseling at the

University of West Alabama in January of 2012. I began my program in July

2010 and plan to pass the Praxis test in School Counseling and apply for

certification in School Counseling in Alabama and then transfer it to Georgia.

Will I still be required to pass the GACE tests in School Counseling?

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Answer

Georgia recently modified procedures for meeting the Special

Georgia Requirement: Content Knowledge Assessment with rule

changes effective December 15, 2010. Since you are a current

Georgia educator completing an out-of-state approved master’s

program after this date, you are required to pass our GACE

assessment for the field of School Counseling before you are

eligible to add the field. However, you will meet the

grandfathering timeline to upgrade your current T4 certificate to

T5 upon completion of the higher degree.

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